This morning I saw C. riding in the park. His significant other, who usually trains with him side-by-side, was nowhere to be seen. Unusual, but not an unhappy situation. C.'s S.O., let's call her "Sarah", really hogs everyone's attention. I give her props, because she's a fast runner and trains almost as hard as I do. But come on! We don't need to hear all about YOU all the time. Leave some oxygen in the room for the rest of us. Jeez Louise. Oh, so you got a new couch. Oh, so you went to a "cool, hip" concert (while I was busy training, ahem). Oh you just went on an amazing trip. Yay for you. Oh you have an amazing boyfriend who you train with all the time (except this morning - trouble in paradise?). Goody.
But this morning I had C. all to myself. We talked about training and the conditions of River Road, favorite places to ride, random stuff like that. C. never complained about Sarah, but I could tell he wanted to confide something in me. I could tell that there was a real reason for why Sarah wasn't out by his side training. He did mention something about her getting fitted for a wedding dress or something, but I didn't really catch it. Maybe he said she was out buying new bedding?
The thing I really like about C. is that he can keep up with me. A lot of guys can't. I finally convinced Supersoulmate B. to get a bike last year. That was a disaster! I learned that some people are just meant for the sidelines. Supersoulmate B. says it's good he wasn't born with the "competitive gene"-- as he calls it -- that I have. Otherwise he wouldn't be able to focus on supporting me at races, having ice packs ready when I get home, preparing my favorite pre-race meals while I rest my legs. It's probably true that Sarah doesn't get that from C. They both have to work together when they're tired from a long workout. I know that I can just come home, give Supersoulmate B. my bike and chow down on a nourishing lunch that he's prepared while I'm taking the ice bath he has ready for me. I guess I'm lucky, but it would be nice to have a built-in training partner. (And it would be nice to come home to a washboard stomach, but that's another story!).
Showing posts with label training. Show all posts
Showing posts with label training. Show all posts
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Sunday, May 6, 2007
Tough Enough?
This morning my Supersoulmate, B., woke me up with a cup of herb tea. "Here you go, Superlady" -- his nickname for me because he thinks I'm so amazing with all of my athletic endeavors -- "time to wake up!" He knew I'd have a hard time getting up today because I worked so hard in my training yesterday. Isn't he the sweetest? But when I looked at the clock- 8:30! - I realized I'd have no time for Blackberry Mist tea. Today it was time for my triple double brick. An aquathlon of sorts. I would run 7 miles to the beach, swim for an hour, then run home. This was made especially challenging because it was pretty windy this morning and chillier than I had expected. But never mind that - warriors don't get cold!
Threw on my running shoes without socks so that I can develop strong calluses on my feet and save precious seconds in transition. Grabbed my wetsuit and a few gels, and I was out the door. I figured running with my wetsuit would be good practice if I do this race in the fall called S.O.S. in which you swim in all these cold lakes but don't have a transition area between swim and run. After a few miles of awkwardly holding my wetsuit in my right hand I tossed it around my neck like a stole and ran much easier. When I arrived at the beach (in less than an hour, natch) I was nicely warmed up for the cold water.
A lot of people are afraid to swim in the ocean when it's cold. Effing wimps! Even with a wetsuit, lots of people won't swim until June, when water temps reach the upper 50s. Right now the temp is somewhere around 53. Pretty cold, but good training for a big race I'm competing in soon that is famous for its cold water swim. What I hadn't counted on was that the wind made a lot of big waves and chop. Rather than look on this as a negative, I decided to view the choppy water as a blessing. Swimming in a washing machine will be good training. Was I ever right. I concentrated on taking nice long, slow strokes and ducking under big waves when they threatened to suffocate me. My hands and feet felt numb after 20 minutes or so, and I had an ice cream headache for a while. But after about 45 minutes the numbness in my hands didn't bother me and I ended up swimming a few miles. Yeah baby!
When I got out my hands and feet were purple. This made putting on my running shoes difficult, so I decided to run a few miles barefoot in my wetsuit - this was great training for the NYC tri, which happens in July. I clocked sub-8 minute miles while wearing my wetsuit. The one great thing about running with numb feet is that all the gravel and junk on the sidewalk don't bother you at all! I just plowed right over so much garbage without feeling a thing. Barefoot running is also really good for strengthening your feet and practicing your running form. After a while I got tired of holding my shoes and finished my run like a normal person.
When I got home, Supersoulmate B. had prepared a healthy post-training breakfast: steelcut oatmeal made with 3 raw eggs (for extra protein) and 6 ounces of acai juice. And of course, a steaming hot cup of Blackberry Mist tea.
Threw on my running shoes without socks so that I can develop strong calluses on my feet and save precious seconds in transition. Grabbed my wetsuit and a few gels, and I was out the door. I figured running with my wetsuit would be good practice if I do this race in the fall called S.O.S. in which you swim in all these cold lakes but don't have a transition area between swim and run. After a few miles of awkwardly holding my wetsuit in my right hand I tossed it around my neck like a stole and ran much easier. When I arrived at the beach (in less than an hour, natch) I was nicely warmed up for the cold water.
A lot of people are afraid to swim in the ocean when it's cold. Effing wimps! Even with a wetsuit, lots of people won't swim until June, when water temps reach the upper 50s. Right now the temp is somewhere around 53. Pretty cold, but good training for a big race I'm competing in soon that is famous for its cold water swim. What I hadn't counted on was that the wind made a lot of big waves and chop. Rather than look on this as a negative, I decided to view the choppy water as a blessing. Swimming in a washing machine will be good training. Was I ever right. I concentrated on taking nice long, slow strokes and ducking under big waves when they threatened to suffocate me. My hands and feet felt numb after 20 minutes or so, and I had an ice cream headache for a while. But after about 45 minutes the numbness in my hands didn't bother me and I ended up swimming a few miles. Yeah baby!
When I got out my hands and feet were purple. This made putting on my running shoes difficult, so I decided to run a few miles barefoot in my wetsuit - this was great training for the NYC tri, which happens in July. I clocked sub-8 minute miles while wearing my wetsuit. The one great thing about running with numb feet is that all the gravel and junk on the sidewalk don't bother you at all! I just plowed right over so much garbage without feeling a thing. Barefoot running is also really good for strengthening your feet and practicing your running form. After a while I got tired of holding my shoes and finished my run like a normal person.
When I got home, Supersoulmate B. had prepared a healthy post-training breakfast: steelcut oatmeal made with 3 raw eggs (for extra protein) and 6 ounces of acai juice. And of course, a steaming hot cup of Blackberry Mist tea.
Saturday, May 5, 2007
Great Training Day
Thought it might help all of you wannabes out there to get some insights into my excellent training methods. See, I'm not worried about you catching me, even if you do follow my plan, because that just won't happen. In addition to having an unnaturally high V02Max (genetics! What can I say?), I train harder, longer, and tougher than just about anyone you'll ever meet. If you can keep up with me, you deserve to beat me.
Today was a typical training day for me. I started out with a medium-long ride (95 miles) on my trusty tri bike. As I pulled out from my apartment into the bike lane I noticed a Mexican guy (I feel so bad for the less fortunate! That's why I always tip the delivery boy an extra dollar.) riding on a department store mountain bike. He wore a baseball cap under his bike helmet. He was only riding like 12 mph. I smoked that loser! And yes, I pushed him as I passed him, but I called out "On your left!" If you can't keep up with me, maybe you should consider whether you deserve to share the road with me. At about mile 50 I hit a section of tough hills. Now, I had been averaging 23 mph (just a tempo pace for me!) up until this point, but the annoying thing about hills is that they slow down even Lance Armstrong. Plus, yesterday I did a hard 15 mile run with hill repeats, so my legs were a little tired. But I reminded myself of my mantra as I ascended, saying to myself "I AM A WARRIOR! I AM A WARRIOR!" And this method totally worked. I shredded those hills. They were begging for mercy. "Please, Trigal! Go easy on us! What did we do to you?" But I had no mercy because I AM A WARRIOR. That's what it takes to win.
Did I mention how often I win things? Last week I came on second overall in a local sprint distance duathlon. It's just a duathlon, so it doesn't really count in terms of my USAT rankings, but it's still fun to cream the competition - show them what they have to fear (and they MUST fear me). I would have came in first place but I dropped my sunglasses on T1 so picking them up that slowed me down by a few seconds. In bigger races I usually win my age group. In addition, pretty much once a year I win the Employee of the Month award at my job. And last December I won the 5 Years of Excellent Services award at my job. Oh yeah, you DO fear me!
Can you ride 95 miles with hills? Can you go fast, and not in a pack which is cheating? If you can, let me know and maybe we can ride together. Think you can handle it?
FEAR ME!
Today was a typical training day for me. I started out with a medium-long ride (95 miles) on my trusty tri bike. As I pulled out from my apartment into the bike lane I noticed a Mexican guy (I feel so bad for the less fortunate! That's why I always tip the delivery boy an extra dollar.) riding on a department store mountain bike. He wore a baseball cap under his bike helmet. He was only riding like 12 mph. I smoked that loser! And yes, I pushed him as I passed him, but I called out "On your left!" If you can't keep up with me, maybe you should consider whether you deserve to share the road with me. At about mile 50 I hit a section of tough hills. Now, I had been averaging 23 mph (just a tempo pace for me!) up until this point, but the annoying thing about hills is that they slow down even Lance Armstrong. Plus, yesterday I did a hard 15 mile run with hill repeats, so my legs were a little tired. But I reminded myself of my mantra as I ascended, saying to myself "I AM A WARRIOR! I AM A WARRIOR!" And this method totally worked. I shredded those hills. They were begging for mercy. "Please, Trigal! Go easy on us! What did we do to you?" But I had no mercy because I AM A WARRIOR. That's what it takes to win.
Did I mention how often I win things? Last week I came on second overall in a local sprint distance duathlon. It's just a duathlon, so it doesn't really count in terms of my USAT rankings, but it's still fun to cream the competition - show them what they have to fear (and they MUST fear me). I would have came in first place but I dropped my sunglasses on T1 so picking them up that slowed me down by a few seconds. In bigger races I usually win my age group. In addition, pretty much once a year I win the Employee of the Month award at my job. And last December I won the 5 Years of Excellent Services award at my job. Oh yeah, you DO fear me!
Can you ride 95 miles with hills? Can you go fast, and not in a pack which is cheating? If you can, let me know and maybe we can ride together. Think you can handle it?
FEAR ME!
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